An Introduction to the Free French in Cowes

VTB's Nos 8-11-12

French Naval motor torpedo boats, relatively newly built 1935/1939, speed 45/46 Knots

Compliment under 10. The vessels were relatively inactive due to a shortage of spare parts

VTB 8 was listed by R.N. as being used for air sea rescue, later in 1941 crews were transferred to ML 20 flotilla of British built motor launches based in Weymouth.

A potted history of the Chasseurs Sous-marins

The Cowes based Chasseurs were built in four shipyards along the channel coast. Chasseurs 5 to 8 in Dunkirk, Chasseurs 10,11and 12 in Le Havre. Chasseurs 13,14 and 15 were built on the river Seine at Le Trait. Chasseurs 41,42 and 43 in Fecamp.

Around the time of the fall of France in May 1940, this class of small French naval ships, the Chasseurs Sous-marins were operating in the English Channel seeing action at Vlissingen in Holland and in Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk.

After the fall of France 13 Chasseurs (including Chasseurs 6 and 7) came to to England and were seized by the Royal Navy as part of Operations Catapult and Grasp .

4 ships were operated by them using Polish crews and R.N. officers. Later some of the ships were handed over to the newly formed Free French Navy under Admiral Muselier and were operated from Portsmouth.

Their main duties, were night patrols in areas East of Portsmouth as far as Ramsgate, and Westward towards the Lizard. All areas including the Solent and the Channel coast of the Isle of Wight. Escort duties would take them to the Western Approaches off the Lizard peninsula and to and from Portsmouth.

For their size they were heavily used. A report by the Captain of Chasseur 11, Boulogne of the

22nd September 1943 states that from October 1941 the vessel had covered 15,700 nautical miles.

On the 11th of November 1940 Chasseurs 6 and 7 were the first to be lost in an engagement with the German Destroyer Greif off Weymouth.

Due to the frequent air raids and consequent lack of rest for the crews, it was decided to relocate the ships to Marvins(Coles)Yard on the river Medina, so from 1941 the remaining 11 ships moved to Cowes, where *most were to be based for the rest of the war.

*See to Pointe Noir Congo

The Construction of the Chasseurs was mainly of Steel although 3 of the flotilla, those from the Fecamp shipyard, had wooden hulls.

Weighing 107 tons as built or 137 Tons, fuelled and munitioned, they were 37.1 metres in length with a 5.66 metre beam and a 1.95 metre draught.

Powered by twin 1100 hp MAN diesels with an approximate range of 1200 nautical miles.

Their armament consisted of one 75mm forward mounted gun, one aft mounted 40mm pompom, two half inch machine guns and two .303 machine guns, depth charge dispensers were fitted at the stern. The vessels were also reported as having minesweeping capabilities. Armament may have varied at different times and between ships.

Crew numbers seem to vary depending on reports, but appear to be around 25.

The establishment at Marvins Yard could easily have numbered 275 Free French, plus Royal Navy and shore based staff, though the crew list count suggests less, but may not be complete, also there may not have been any one time when the entire flotilla was seaworthy.

The Total count so far for all wartime personnel including Royal Navy(51) and Polish (3) is 327 so indicating 273 Free French Sailors so far.

Actions and Losses

Bruneval

The British Raid involving Parachute commandos

In February 1942 elements of the flotilla CH 10,11,12,13,and 43. (Ch 42 also attended but was withdrawn with engine problems) took part in Operation Biting, the Combined Operations raid on the German radar station at Bruneval, supporting the fast motor gun boats and landing craft used to retrieve the parachute commandos and technicians from the beach. Little of their involvement appears in the reports, though they are represented pictorially on the memorial at Bruneval.(see below)

The official Admiralty War Diary for Sunday 1st March 1942 page 1 states only "4 chasseurs and Blencathra and Fernie escorted the force during the latter part of their return to Portsmouth". According to Pierre L'Hours (Ch 10), the Chasseurs were chosen to act in support of the force MGB's due to their heavier armament i.e. 75 mm Guns and shallow draught 1.5 metres, the memorial plaque at Bruneval depicting the raid shows 5 Chasseurs.

HMS Blencathra (L 24) and HMS Fernie (L 11) were Royal Navy Hunt Class Destroyers.

See below for Admiralty War Diary entry.

Cowes Blitz

On the night of th 4th and 5th of May 1942 several ships of the Free French flotilla were involved in the defence of Cowes during the blitz, which resulted in the loss of one crew member Pierre Michel Guilcher from Ile de Sein he was 22 years old.

See IWCP cutting of the article by Marcel Ollivier below.

For personal recollections of that night see:

https://www.blyskawica-cowes.org.uk/cowes_blitz/

This story is about the Polish role on the defence of Cowes, so little mention of the Free French is made, the local stories are interesting though.

Loss of Ch 8 Rennes

See also dedicated page and Crew List page

On the 13th of July 1942 Chasseur 8 Rennes was tasked to escort the FNFL submarine Rubis picking up the escort near the Lizard, Cornwall. Ch 8 was en route off Berry Head when it was attacked by German planes, the Chasseur was hit by two bombs and sank immediately, with the loss of 26 crew, 1 officer survived (See report by Edward Walton on the Loss of Chasseur 8 Rennes page) this further reducing the Cowes flotilla to 10 ships.

Dieppe

The first Raid involving Royal Marines Commandos

On the 19th of August 1942 the Chasseurs (Ch 5,10,13,14,41,42and 43) were again engaged in action off the French coast during Operation Jubilee, the Dieppe Raid, accounts of which are plentiful, though scant mention of the FNFL involvement is made. The Chasseurs left Newhaven carrying Royal Marines Commandos and Canadian infantry. Their actions resulted in many decorations that day.(See detailed report below by Max Ibarlucia Captain Ch 10 Bayonne)

During this engagement Chasseur 13 Calais took a direct hit to the Bridge, killing her Royal Navy Captain Edward Gervase Egerton, who was buried at sea. His memorial may be seen in the church at Sheriff Hutton Yorkshire (image below), he is also listed on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

https://www.gunboards.com/threads/180-weekend-quiz-4u-19-august-1942-dieppe-raid.720650/page-57

To Pointe Noire, Congo

In September 1942 Chasseurs 42 Larmor and 43 Lavandou were dispatched to support Free French actions in Equatorial Africa.

It is reported that their wooden hulls were better suited to tropical conditions.

The group was thus reduced to 8 ships.

Passage corrections courtesy Robert Sclaminec.

See Bottom of page for Dates and Movements

https://www.naval-history.net/xDKWD-WAfrica1942.htm

The Loss of Chasseur 5 Carentan

See also dedicated page and Crew List page

On the 21st of December 1943 Chasseur 5 Carentan Captained by Michel Pierre Sauvage was assigned to escort the FNFL submarine Rorqual, from Brixham to Portsmouth. In deteriorating sea conditions Ch 5 was capsized by a huge wave off St Albans Head near Swanage. Reports state that only 7 crew members were rescued with all other crew lost, including the Captain.

Official Royal Navy diaries state 6 rescued

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://cd.royalnavy.mod.uk/-/media/rnweb/locations-and-operations/navy-historical-branch/pdfs/1943/war_diary_naval_1943_12---day-16-to-day-31.pdf?rev=a4112afdf50c4c2f8953a60e7dd2eece

See pages 467,469 and 474 for daily reports particularly HMS Rorqual

This loss further reduced the flotilla to 7 ships, which would remain the contingent until the end of the war.

Base Ships

Based at Cowes was the headquaters ship La Diligente, a Friponne class gunboat, which before the fall of France, supported the Chasseurs operating in support of Dutch forces around Vlissingen.

Also an ex WW1 era Submarine Chaser C106 bulit in 1919 which was used as a sick bay.

Isle of Wight County Press from May 5th 2000 Cutting courtesy of Margaret Prior